NORRISTOWN — A former Lansdale senior living facility employee’s sticky fingers might point her to jail now that she’s admitted to stealing jewelry and cash from elderly residents.

Diane Witynski, 56, of the 2000 block of Maple Avenue, Hatfield, pleaded guilty in Montgomery County Court to felony charges of theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property in connection with incidents that occurred between July and August 2012 while she worked at the Elm Terrace Gardens senior and assisted living facility in Lansdale.

Judge Joseph A. Smyth deferred sentencing so court officials can complete a background investigative report about Witynski, who potentially faces a maximum of seven to 14 years in prison on the charges. However, Witynski also has asked to be evaluated for a house arrest program in lieu of jail.

Witynski, who reportedly is a native of Poland, remains free on bail pending her sentencing hearing. Court papers indicate Witynski began working at the senior facility at 660 N. Broad St. on June 25, 2012.

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An investigation of Witnyski began when Lansdale police responded to the first theft report on July 24, after an 89-year-old woman reported that a platinum ring worth $3,000 had disappeared after she had taken it off of her finger the previous day, according to a criminal complaint.

Officers responded to the facility again on Aug. 2 after a relative of a second 89-year-old female resident reported that a gold diamond emerald ring and a gold diamond emerald bracelet worth $1,200 had gone missing, according to the arrest affidavit.

On Aug. 7, police said an 81-year-old woman reported five sets of earrings had been taken from her room sometime in the previous two days. A family member of that victim told police that a gold pendant with the word ‘Mother’ inscribed had also been stolen. The jewelry was worth a total of $1,200, police alleged.

On Aug. 13, a 75-year-old woman reported that a change purse containing $100 in cash had been stolen sometime during the previous two or three weeks. According to court papers, a facility supervisor spoke to a group of employees, including Witynski, at that time, to alert them that police had been contacted. The change purse reappeared in the victim’s purse after that meeting, but without the money inside, court papers indicate.

A supervisor reviewed employee schedules and determined that only Witynski had been working on the days of the reported thefts, according to the criminal complaint filed by Lansdale Detective Steven Owens.

During the investigation, detectives contacted a local jeweler and found four sale receipts in Witynski’s name, which listed sales of numerous items of gold and silver jewelry to the store, between July 10 and Aug. 9. The jeweler was asked to call police if Witynski arrived to sell more jewelry, and did so Aug. 29 after a gold heart pendant and gold earrings were brought in for sale, according to police.

The following day, police contacted a family member of the third victim, who identified the gold heart pendant and gold earrings as those that had been stolen between Aug. 5 and 6 from the victim’s room.

Witynski was interviewed by police at Elm Terrace Sept. 1 and provided a written statement in which she admitted to stealing jewelry from two residents, who suffered from dementia, and selling the items to the jeweler.